THE STRAW OX.

Once
upon a time there lived an old man and his wife, and one day she said
to him: “Make me a straw ox and smear him over with pitch.”
And he asked: “What for?” And she answered: “Do what
I tell you! Never mind what it's for—that's my business!”
So the old man made a strawox
and smeared him over with pitch. Then his wife got ready in the early
morning and drove the ox to pasture. She sat down under a tree, and
began spinning flax and saying to herself: “Feed, feed, ox, on
the fresh green grass.”

“Feed,
feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!” And she went on spinning and
spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the thick wood, from
out of the dark forest, a bear came running, and ran right up against
the ox.

“Who
in the world are you?” he asked. And the ox answered: “I'm
the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over with
pitch.” Then the bear said: “Well, if you're smeared over
with pitch, give me some to put on my poor torn side.” And the ox
answered: “Take some!” So the bear seized hold of the ox,
when lo and behold! his paw stuck in the pitch.

And
when he tried to free it with the other paw, that one stuck too. Then
he started gnawing with his teeth, and they stuck too. He couldn't tear
himself away anyhow. And the old woman woke up and saw the bear stuck
fast to the ox. So she ran home and shouted to her husband: “Come
along quick, a bear has stuck fast to our ox, hurry up and catch
him!” And he came along, took the bear, led him home, and shut
him up in the lumber room.

The
next day, as soon as the sun rose, the old woman again drove the ox to
pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began spinning flax
and saying to herself: “Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass
of the field!Feed,
feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of the field!” And she went on
spinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the thick
wood, from out of the dark forest, a wolf came running, and ran right
up against the ox. “Who in the world are you?” he asked.
And the ox answered: “I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of
straw and smeared over with pitch.”

Thenthe
wolf said: “Well, if that's so, give me some pitch to put on my
poor torn side.” And the ox answered: “By all means!”
So the wolf tried to take some pitch, when lo and behold! his paw stuck
in it. And when he tried to free it, it stuck all the faster. And the
old woman woke up and saw the wolf sticking to the ox. So she ran to
fetch her husband and said: “Come as quick as you can, there's a
wolf stuck to the ox!” And he came and caught the wolf and put
him in the cellar.

The
next day, before even the sun had risen, the old woman again drove the
ox to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began
spinning flax and saying to herself: “Feed, feed, ox, on the
fresh green grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!” And
she went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep.

Suddenly
from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a fox came
running, and ran right up against the ox. “What sort of a beastare
you?” he asked. And the ox answered: “I'm the
three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over with
pitch.” Then the fox said: “Well then, give me some pitch
to rub on my side.” And the fox was just going to take some
pitch, when he stuck fast and couldn't free himself. And the old woman
woke up and saw the fox sticking to the ox. So she ran to fetch her
husband, and he came and took the fox and put him in the cellar as well.

The
next day the old woman again sat down under the tree to spin her flax
while the ox fed, and she began spinning and saying to herself:
“Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the
fresh green grass!” Andshe
went on spinning and spinning and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the
thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a grey hare came running and
ran right up against the ox. “What sort of beast are you?”
he asked. “I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and
smeared over with pitch.” Then the hare said: “Well then,
give me some pitch to rub on my side.” “Take some!”
answered the ox. And the hare caught hold of him with his teeth, when
lo and behold! his teeth stuck fast. He tore and tore, but couldn't
tear them free. And the old woman woke up, and ran to fetch her
husband, and said: “Come as quick as you can, there's a hare
stuck to the ox!” And the old man came, took the hare and flunghim
into the cellar. Then the old man began to grind his knife, and the
bear heard him and asked: “What are you grinding your knife
for?” And he answered: “I'm grinding my knife to take the
skin off your back and make myself a fur coat out of it.” But the
bear said: “Oh! don't take the skin off my back! Better let me go
free, and I'll repay you handsomely.” “Well, mind you
do!” answered the old man, and so he let the bear go free, and he
ran off into the forest.

The next day the old man again began to grind his knifeoutside
the cellar, and the wolf asked him: “What are you grinding your
knife for?” And he answered: “I'm grinding my knife to take
the skin off your back and make myself a fur coat out of it.” But
the wolf said: “Oh!don't
take the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll repay you
handsomely.” “Well, mind you do!” answered the old
man, and so he let the wolf too go free. And again he began to grind
his knife outside the cellar, and the fox asked him: “What are
you grinding your knife for?” And he answered: “I'm
grinding my knife to take the skin off your back, and make myself out
of it a collar for my fur coat.” But the fox said: “Oh!
don't take the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll repay
you handsomely.” “Well, mind you do!” answered he.

Then the hare was left all alone.

And
again the old man began to grind his knife, and the hare asked him:
“What are you grinding your knife for?” And he answered:
“I'm grinding my knife to take the skin off your back, and make
myself some fur gloves out of it.” But the hare said: “Oh!
don't take the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll repay
you handsomely.” “Well, mind you do!” he answered,
and let the hare too go free.

Early
the next morning the old man heard someone knocking at the gate, so he
asked: “Who's there?” And the answer came: “It's I,
the bear, come to pay you my debt.” And the old man opened the
gate, and there was the bear with a hive of honey he had brought. So
the old man took the honey, when again he heard knock-knockat
the gate! “Who's there?” he asked, and the answer came:
“It's I, the wolf, come to pay you my debt.” And there was
the wolf with a whole flock of sheep he had driven up. So the old man
let the sheep into the yard, when again he heard knock-knock at the
gate. “Who's there?” he asked, and the answer came:
“It's I, the fox, come to pay you my debt.”

And
there was the fox with a whole farm-yardful of cocks and hens, and
ducks and geese. Suddenly there came another knock-knock at the gate.
“Who's there?” asked the old man, and the answer came:
“It's I, the hare, come to pay you my debt.” And he had
brought with him a wholeheap of cabbages. And the old man and his wife began to live happily together, and always spoke well and kindly of those beasts.